I didn’t have high hopes for these cupcakes. In fact after the four failed attempts at maple candy this weekend and tasting the delicious Whiskie Bits cupcakes, I started to get a little depressed. I tasted the baked cake on its own and while it tasted fine, I wasn’t very excited it about it. Well in the end, I ended up loving the cupcake – it ended up being more than the sum of its parts.
The cake is light, almost angel food texture, with juicy, chewy corn kernels scattered throughout. The frosting is very creamy with a nice tartness. Taken together with some maple candy and bacon…. Yum! I was pleasantly surprised with this combination, now to see how they go over at work tomorrow.
Update: The cupcakes went fast and seemed to go over quite well. I shouldn’t have underestimated the appeal of bacon!
Homemade Maple Sugar Candy
I got the recipe from the Ohio State University website, fact sheet F-46-02. I tried the “Crunchy” Hard Maple Sugar Candy and the Molded Soft Sugar Candy. The hard, crunchy stuff tasted a lot like the maple sugar candy I used to get in Vermont, but I couldn’t mold it or make it into anything very good looking. The molded, soft stuff didn’t quite pan out I like I had hoped, but I did manage to get it into small disks. Attempt at your own risk.
stirring the maple sugar
Sweet Corn Cupcakes
20 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven
1-1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup grape seed oil (or any tasteless vegetable oil)
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
5 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 cup corn kernels, fresh, cut off the cob
1. Sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into the bowl of a standing mixer.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oil, egg yolks, water, and maple syrup. Stir to combine.
3. On a low setting, start to beat the dry mixture and slowly add the wet. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until ingredients are incorporated.
4. Transfer mixture to another bowl. Wash and dry mixer bowl.
5. Whip egg whites with whip attachment on medium-high speed until foamy. With the mixer on medium speed, add cream of tarter and slowly add sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
6. Scoop a cupful of the stiff egg whites into the batter and stir to combine. This will lighten up the batter.
7. Transfer the batter to the egg whites and gently fold until there are no more streaks of egg white.
8. Gently fold in the corn kernels.
9. Scoop into cupcake cups and bake at 350 F for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
12 ounces or 1-1/2 packages of Philly cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1. Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.
2. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment.
3. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
4. Add 3 cups of the powdered sugar and maple syrup. Beat until combined.
5. Add more sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.
Assemble
1. Frost cooled cupcakes.
2. Top with a piece of homemade maple sugar candy or crispy bacon.
